An Eye for an Eye
by AeonFrodo
Summary: What if Apollo was too late saving Juniper's life in the courtroom explosion? Was he simply too slow? Or was it something more sinister? [Contains major Dual Destinies spoilers] [AU]


I feel pretty terrible writing this prompt from the kink meme, but it was a really interesting idea to explore. I feel horrible about it mainly because I did one extra thing the prompt doesn't mention. And it was incredibly painful to write. Somehow, I hope this ends up being a good read.

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**Disclaimer: Ace Attorney and all recognisable characters belong to Capcom****.**

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**An Eye for an Eye**

Clay Terran was dead. Nothing could ever change that. But the trial relating to his death was about to buried under a pile of rubble. There was a bomb set to go off at any moment, and anybody caught in the explosion was likely to be killed. A police officer managed to pick up the soft beeping noises, and warned the people in the courtroom to evacuate immediately.

Apollo Justice refused to leave because he knew exactly who the killer was. He couldn't let her get away with it because somebody decided to blow the courtroom to hell. After all, the victim was his closest friend, a man who had been with him through thick and thin. He would even join his deceased friend, as long as he could take her with him.

For some reason, the killer refused to let him die. She dragged him out of the courtroom by one arm, running as fast as she could. Apollo wanted to pull her back, lock her into the courtroom and have her life erased by the explosion. It was a better plan than sacrificing himself so that a killer would die. But no matter how much he struggled to use her weight against her, his efforts were fruitless. Her strength was superhuman, more reason why she had to be Clay's murderer.

Athena Cykes glared at Apollo, trying to fathom why he wanted to jerk her back into the courtroom. Surely, Apollo wasn't the type to give up on his own life, let alone drag her down with him. Then again, he did want to stay behind in the courtroom even though there was no point.

Soon, the lawyers found themselves out of the courtroom, sprinting down the corridor. Somehow, Apollo twisted his arm and broke out of Athena's grasp. He quickly checked behind him, surprised how far he was from the doors of the courtroom. If the bomb was going off in mere seconds, there was no way he could make it back there, if he decided to.

"Apollo!" A scream came from the courtroom doors.

Apollo froze. His mind registered that Juniper Woods, Athena's best friend since childhood, was just escaping the courtroom. Then another scream echoed in the hallway. He spun around, witnessing Juniper trip over herself, falling face first onto the floor. He had to protect her; she wasn't going to make it out in time!

The moment he took the first step, he felt something in his body. Above the chaotic emotions raging inside, there was a voice bellowing from deep within. It was like the devil speaking from the depths of hell itself.

_Let her die._

A shiver ran up his spine. Apollo couldn't do such a thing. Not to a girl who hadn't caused him any grief. Juniper was a wonderful girl who was considerate and understanding, unlike Athena who was either one extreme or the other. Apollo found the aspiring judge was a much more approachable person than Athena.

_Doesn't the killer deserve it? She took your best friend; you might as well leave her friend to die. Justice will be served... an eye for an eye._

Wherever this voice came from, whether it was from his mind or some other place – had a point. Athena Cykes killed Clay Terran. It was only fair that she knew exactly how it felt to lose a dear friend, wasn't it? Apollo knew the feeling, it was like cutting a deep wound on the heart and with that gaping wound, the heart was more vulnerable the poisons of the mind.

Apollo shook his head. He couldn't hesitate any longer. But once he began his sprint, he was already too late.

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Juniper Woods was dead.

That was the first thing he heard from his hospital bed. Apollo was conflicted. A twisted part of him was overjoyed, knowing that he wasn't the only person suffering the pain of losing a childhood friend. The other part of him was an abyss of despair, he felt guilty of not being able to save Juniper in time, or trying harder to save her. He cursed the demon in his mind for slowing him down.

But there was nothing he could do to change it. And it still didn't change the situation. Clay Terran wasn't avenged. Not until his killer was behind bars that his final wish would be fulfilled. Or was it Apollo's wish? Either way, the killer was still free. Apollo couldn't idle; he had to recover as fast as he could.

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Apollo stood at the witness stand, slamming his fists down on the wooden frame. There was no way he was going to let this _bitch_ leave the courtroom. She had to be tried for Clay's murder right here, in this ruined courtroom. Luckily, the judge wasn't the person in charge of this unorthodox trial.

The young lawyer spoke with conviction, his voice stable and unwavering as he calmly accused his co-worker, Athena Cykes, of murdering Clay Terran. His unsettling demeanour visibly disturbed his boss and Athena, bewildered how he came to that grave conclusion. If only if they knew how it felt to possess a bracelet that tightened around their wrist every time someone spoke about a case, knowing they were lying through their teeth. If they knew how much sleep he had lost over the deaths of Clay and Juniper. If they knew what drove him to this forsaken path, maybe they would understand.

With the suppressed guilt discarded in the depths of his mind, Apollo confidently explained why Athena Cykes was the woman who murdered his best friend. His lips almost formed a wicked grin, as his boss hadn't made a dent in his theory. It was perfect.

_Evidence was everything. _And the man known as the legendary attorney was powerless without evidence to disprove his hypothesis. The man's silence and his slumped posture displayed that his feeble defence for the girl wasn't working. Finally, Athena Cykes would be proven guilty for the crime she did commit. _She killed Clay._

"There is no alternate escape route. Admit it, Mr. Wright. The evidence points to her. Athena Cykes murdered Clay." Apollo lips warped into a monstrous smile, hardly containing his excitement for Athena's demise. Finally, _justice _will be served. An eye for an eye.

But it was just the opening the comeback king needed to base his theory on. Seizing the opportunity, Phoenix Wright believed there was an alternate route, and through his faith in Athena's innocence, he was able to prove such a route existed.

Apollo's heart sank. He was visibly shaking, in denial that there was anybody else who killed Clay. He was utterly convinced, especially after his investigation, that Athena was the only possible person in the Space Centre at the time that could've killed his best friend. Not a man whose movements were akin to a ghost's. Not a man who somehow managed to infiltrate the police force. Everything Apollo had done to prove Athena fell apart because of that one unlikely possibility.

Suddenly, the weight of his actions and beliefs felt heavy as he came to this horrible realisation. Juniper Woods' death could've been prevented. If only he didn't hesitate to save her life, then maybe he would be on a different path to this damned scenario.

Upon those thoughts, Apollo finally broke down.

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Apollo felt like he was the one on trial. His head was in his hands, guilty of accusing his co-worker of a crime she didn't commit. He avoided the stares of his colleagues, trying to figure out what had led him to do what he'd done. He kept on replying the memory of the moment before Juniper Woods' death, recalling what was on his mind at the time.

_The devil's voice_. The voice that eventually became his own. Why did he let it consume his very being?

The young lawyer felt a hand on his shoulder. Nervously, he lifted his head up. His static gaze met with a sympathetic look from the woman that he previously considered his enemy. Why did she have to be so benevolent after what he did?

"Hey."

Apollo responded with silence. The moment he thought about telling her of his part in Juniper's death, an awkward lump formed in his throat.

"We don't have a lot of time to speak, and Mr. Wright has given us a little privacy to sort this out before we enter the courtroom again," Athena paused, quickly glancing in the direction of her boss, "So, I have a few things I've been meaning to tell you."

The demon lawyer couldn't bear to stare at her any longer. He lowered his head again, looking at his bracelet, the object that caused him to distrust the woman sitting next to him.

"When Junie died... I wanted her killer to pay for taking her away from us. She was such a sweet person, and she was always there for me when I was down. And after not seeing her after so long, I wanted to catch up with her. Then, I just felt so angry that her murderer took that away from me."

Something within Apollo twinged. He felt exactly the same way as her when Clay died. He suddenly had the courage to look her in the eye again, hoping he was expressing empathy towards her.

"The next day... I realised Junie wouldn't want that. It... wouldn't change a thing. I can't bring her back to life. All I can do is value the time we spent together as kids and celebrate her life. If I was the one that died... She would probably do the same for me."

Apollo's heart thudded painfully. Why couldn't he do the same for Clay? Why did his desire to find Clay's killer override celebrating his life and who he was? Why did he accuse Athena in the first place? Why did he let Juniper die? The lawyer felt the tears forming in the ducts of his eyes. This was all too much for him.

Suddenly, he felt Athena's arms around his broken body, squeezing his shoulders too tightly for his own comfort. He didn't feel right to wrap his arms around her frame, but somehow he found a little peace in her arms.

"You wanted to find Clay's killer... and I know I wanted the same at some point for Junie. I forgive you."

"Thank you." It was the only thing Apollo could say. He felt slightly lighter, but at the same time, he couldn't say anything else. How would Athena react if he told her that he left her best friend to die? How could he bring himself to say that to her, at this moment?

He moved back, and Athena understood immediately. She let go of him, looking a little bit relieved as he was. He could tell at the back of her mind, she still had to worry about being proven guilty of Clay's murder. Even though he knew, deep inside, that she was innocent.

As he attempted to stand, Athena grabbed his arm. He turned to face her again. What more could be said, other than what he really didn't want to tell her?

"There's one more thing I need to tell you."

With little hesitation, Apollo plonked back on his seat. He wasn't sure what he was expecting to hear from her, but he was curious. There was no reason to walk away from her now.

"I... I... I don't know how to say this, especially with everything that's happened. And... Well, I... I know you don't feel the same way."

Apollo shook his head. _Was she really implying this? _

"I kind of thought... Well, er... there was... something between us when we were working together on cases. And... for me," Athena stopped, biting her lip before continuing, "It- It developed into something more. What I'm trying to say... is that... I-I have feelings for you, even now."

Apollo froze. His mind was working in overdrive, wondering how Athena could possibly _love him _after everything that he'd done, even without the knowledge of his inaction moments before her friend's death. He slumped forward, awkwardly looking in the other direction trying to swallow those words.

"It's just... I need to get that off my chest. At least before it's too late, if things don't go well for me. I'm sorry I had to tell you like this."

Apollo understood her reasons. She was the defendant, and if their boss didn't prove that Detective Bobby Fulbright was the Phantom, the court would believe that Athena Cykes was Clay's murderer. But he only felt incredibly guilty.

Perhaps, if his bracelet didn't react when she spoke about this case, he would've gotten closer to her. Maybe there were some unrequited feelings he had for her, and when it became too much, he would've told her everything he felt.

Now, he felt nothing but guilt when he thought of her. He could never return Athena's feelings. All because the devil inside of him wanted to see her suffer the same fate. It capitalised on the insecurities he had for her innocence. And her best friend paid the ultimate price.

Apollo couldn't bear to tell Athena the painful truth behind her best friend's death. She had every right to know, but in the position they were in, this could ruin what was left of their friendship. Maybe he could part with this agonising truth, or suppress it in time. Keeping this fact to himself sounded a lot better than hurting the woman who loved him. He believed she suffered enough to last several lifetimes.

With a sombre glance Athena left him wordlessly, approaching Phoenix. Somehow, Apollo found the strength to stare at her, only to see the faint image of the irreproachable victim. He wanted to apologise to her, for not immediately running to her rescue when she called out his name. He wished he moved before the explosion that went off, shielding her body with his own. Maybe she could've been alive today, supporting both him and Athena through this difficult ordeal.

Although, it was too late to turn back time, no matter how much he wanted to. Apollo had to accept that the true circumstances of Juniper Woods' death would only be known to him. It was his cross to bear for the rest of his life.


End file.
